Freedom's Magic
by Dark and Wild
Summary: Two slaves, Cassie and Theodora, are owned by a Carthaki spy placed in Tortall. When their master comes up with a fiendish plan to take over Tortall, will Cassie and Theodora go for freedom? Rated T for occasional language. READ AND REVIEW!
1. Two Slaves

Welcome, everyone! This is my Tamora Pierce fanfic. It takes place between numbers three and four of the Immortal series. I thought it'd be nice to create my own little original story here, so here is the "summary", as you might call it. Remember to read and review! **Disclaimer:** I do not own some of the characters in this book. Such as Numair, Alanna, Daine, Thayet, and Jonathan, and a few selective others.

Cassie and Theodora are the typical servants. Well, they're more like slaves. They're owned by a Carthaki spy, Harris Sandbeard, who hopes that he will one day be the king of Tortall. He conspires with high Carthaki officials against the noble Queen Thayet and King Jonathan. Cassie and Theodora know of these dark and evil plans, but are threatened to keep quiet. As devoted slaves, they must. But then hope comes their way for freedom and happiness when some certain pair comes along. But war is starting to brew in lovely Tortall, and guess who is behind it? Harris Sandbeard. So, will Cassie and Theodora ever be truly free?

O O O

"Cassie! Theodora! Hurry up with them dishes!" cried an impatient wealthy man. He was shouting at two servant girls that he had owned for a very long time.

The two young girls he was shouting at here just around fourteen. One was rather tall, the other one only an inch shorter. The taller one was Theodora. She had shoulder-length jet-black hair with amazing sea-green eyes. She was wearing typical servant wear – a ragged brown dress and a dirty white apron. The girl that stood beside her was Cassie, even though her full name was Cassandra. She had boyishly short reddish-blonde hair, and her eyes were a crystal clear blue. She was wearing the same outfit as Theodora, and looked just as grimy.

"I said hurry it up!" the man shouted again. This was Harris Sandbeard, a Carthaki spy that had been placed in Tortall.

His two servant girls had been given to him as tiny children – no more than one-year old babies. He had had them for over thirteen years, and worked them hard as he possibly could. Cassie and Theodora also had heard of plans to take over Tortall. Mainly it was because their master took very secretive company. Their owner had threatened them numerous times that if they had ever told anyone of Carthak's plans, they would be whipped to the bone and then thrown outside for the Stormwings to eat.

Cassie and Theodora looked at each other and continued to do the dishes. As they finished, Harris stormed into the kitchen, and glared at the pair of servants that were putting the dishes away as fast as they could.

"You!" Harris barked at Cassie, who jumped with surprise and nearly dropped the dish she was holding. "Come here, girl. I have a job for you." He smiled wickedly and went back out.

Cassie glanced back at Theodora and bit her lip, fearful of what her master might do. "Go on," whispered Theodora, pushing her gently towards the kitchen door. "I'll finish up here. I'll see you in the basement afterwards, Cassie. I'll save some bread for you." Cassie nodded and stumbled back to the door to follow Harris.

Harris stopped outside a door and pointed threateningly at Cassie, who cowered. "I'm having a meeting with some of my colleagues tonight, girl. I want you to stand guard. If you tell _anyone _about what you hear, I'll hang you by the old maple tree outside. And then the Stormwings will come and eat your carcass when I'm through cutting it to pieces."

Cassie gulped and nodded. She caught a glimpse of Theodora slipping from the kitchen with a loaf of bread and slink down into the basement – their bedroom and home. Harris fixed Cassie with a heated glare and went inside to join his Carthaki comrades.

"First we ought to have a toast," announced a deep-voiced man from inside. "To Ozorne!"

"To Ozorne!" repeated about four other voices. Cassie recognized them as Carthaki mages who had been loyal to Ozorne before he had fallen. Cassie and Theodora had heard stories of a fifteen-year old girl named Veralidaine who had brought that ending to Ozorne's empire and had practically destroyed the palace in Carthak's capital.

"Now as to the plans," hissed another voice. Cassie had heard this voice many times before. It was Milan, one of Ozorne's previous mages. "Harris, you have the mage and the Lioness coming to your home here?"

"Yup, that's true indeed," Harris answered, sounding quite proud.

Cassie frowned with concern and worry. What were they planning this time? All she could do was sit back and listen.

"We have the drugs being imported from Scanra as we speak. I hired some pirate about a week ago. They ought to be here any day now," said another. This voice was more like a hiss than a human voice speaking, and it made Cassie shudder.

"Excellent, excellent," murmured a new voice, this one female.

"Let's go over the plan again, shall we?" asked another.

"Shush, there is a servant girl outside the door, we cannot have her overhearing our plans. She may spoil the, or worse let someone know. If she hears the plan, she must die," hissed the man whose voice was a hiss.

Cassie's heart went cold. Surely Harris wouldn't let them kill her. She was just about to run down to the basement and to Theodora when Harris cut in, "We will not kill one of my servants. Either of them. Besides, my Cassie will be the one serving the drinks. It would be all the better if she heard the plan as well. Don't worry about her blabbing. She knows she isn't allowed to do that or she'll suffer the consequences."

"Fetch her then, Harris," growled the female. Cassie recognized her as Olivia, a Carthaki woman who had taught at the Carthaki University.

"Alright, then," grunted Harris. Suddenly his head appeared in the doorway, and he grabbed Cassie roughly. She knew better than to cry out, so she sealed her mouth shut and allowed herself to be shoved into the room.

"Sit down, girl," snapped Olivia, gesturing to a seat in between the hissing man and Milan, both of whom grinned maliciously. Cassie had no choice but to obey. She sat between them, folding her hand in her lap as she tried her best not to take up a lot of room.

"Now, little girl, you will need to know of our plan. This one will work – and will throw this whole country into chaos. If you do not obey us, we will report directly to Ozorne, with you and your dear slave friend in chains. Perhaps Ozorne will feed you to the spidrens, but that will not matter if you do exactly as we say," said the hissing man. "Milan, will you tell her, or shall I?"

"I will," Olivia spoke up. She turned to Cassie, her beady black eyes glittering maliciously with ambition. "Now, slave, your Master Harris has invited the mighty Lioness and Tortall's most powerful mage here in a few days. Our plan is to put this country into complete chaos so the great Stormwing Ozorne will make it a better place. Our plan is that while they are here, we will slip drugs into their drinks. As Harris has said, you will be the one serving the drinks. After they are unconscious, we will lock them up in that basement of yours – so you will need to find a new place to sleep as Harris tells us. And more importantly, YOU will be the watch guards for the mage and the Lioness. However, if they are awake, you must understand that you will be no match for either of them. So you just feed them more drugs. You'll keep doing that until we fetch Ozorne and some other Stormwings and kill the pair. Got that?"

Cassie was now shaking. Her, drug two of the most famous people in Tortallan history? She couldn't! Nor Theodora. That was treason beyond all reckoning. But she had to accept. Cassie didn't care about her own self getting fed to spidrens (whatever on earth THEY were, Cassie had no clue), but Theodora as well? Cassie couldn't handle that. "Y-Yes," she replied softly. Her voice was shaky from lack of use.

Harris stood, and came over to Cassie. "Come. I need you up early, so you're off to bed _now _before I decide to whip you for disobeying orders. Make sure Theodora's asleep too. If you ain't in bed in the next five minutes, I'll kill you both."

Cassie scrambled down the miniature staircase to the basement, where Theodora waited patiently. The loaf of bread had been stowed safely among their other stolen food and goods that they kept down here in case of emergencies. She slammed the basement door and began trembling, and sat down hard on her ragged blanket on the floor.

"What's going on?" Theodora demanded with concern at seeing the terrified look on Cassie's already gaunt face. She settled down beside Cassie and pulled the loaf of bread towards her.

"They have another plan…" murmured Cassie, still shaking. "This time, it's worse than any other they've concocted. And they want me to help. I can't do it! I won't! It's treason, it is! They're asking me to commit the worse kind of treason!"

Theodora broke the loaf in half and passed one half to Cassie. She took it gratefully. "What do they want you to do?" she asked nervously.

"The Lioness, Sir Alanna, is coming here to the Blue Snake Inn. And she's going to have the most powerful mage in Tortall with her-"

"I've heard of him!" Theodora said quietly, taking a bite of her bread. As she swallowed, she added, "His name is Numair Salmalin. He came from Carthak, and was banished for treason against Ozorne. Now he's here in Tortall, and I heard he could even destroy the whole world with a single snap of his fingers."

Cassie's eyes widened. The bread in her hands was forgotten. "T-they want me to drug _him_?" she squeaked.

Theodora's mouth dropped open. "They want you to do WHAT?!"

"Their plan is that this N-Numair you speak of and S-Sir Alanna w-will come to stay here at the Blue Snake Inn for a dinner with Harris. I'll be serving the food and drinks. They want me to slip drugs into their drinks to make them unconscious. And after we have them unconscious, we're supposed to guard them down here in the basement… while they fetch Ozorne and a few other Stormwing-thingys to kill them!" Cassie whispered urgently.

Theodora's sea-green eyes widened with alarm. "You're right," she answered back. "That's treason beyond all reckoning. How could they ask someone like you to do that?"

Cassie took a bite from her bread and wiped some tears from her eyes. "If I don't do it, they'll feed us to some blasted thing called a spidren. I have no idea what they are, but just the name gives me the creeps. I'm so scared, Theodora."

"You'd better be asleep down there!" barked a voice from above. It was Harris. Cassie and Theodora jumped and scrambled under their blankets, which were torn and thin. Once Theodora and Cassie were sure that Harris had gone again, they got together under their combined blankets and kept each other close that night. Both fell asleep as slumber wrapped over them like a blanket.

O O O

"Get up, you lazy slaves!" snapped a voice overhead.

Theodora and Cassie awoke and helped each other off the ground. They knew better than to groan or say anything when Harris was demanding them to do something. The last time either of them had done something of the sort Harris had whipped them so hard that it hurt for many weeks afterward.

Harris was standing over them, looking dark and angry. He scowled down at them and threw them both some clean clothes – black dresses. Cassie and Theodora looked down at the dresses with surprise and confusion. These were not uniforms, they were wondrous gowns to the two young slaves. They gazed up at Harris confusedly, and he slapped Theodora across the cheek.

"Don't look at me like that!" he barked at her, and glared at Cassie. "Put those on, both of you. We're going down to port to pick up the thing we were discussing last night." He fixed Cassie into silence with a heated glare. With that remark, he stormed out of the basement and into the room above.

Theodora and Cassie took one look at each other and knew they had to do as Harris asked them, or they would be punished. They scrambled into their clothing, and slipped the dresses on.

"I bet you anything it's the drugs," murmured Theodora grimly as they trudged up the stairs to join Harris. He was waiting for them at the door, in a business suit. Cassie nodded and shivered. Knowing exactly what she was thinking, Theodora slipped an arm around her friend's shoulders. Harris didn't see – he was already outside clambering up into a wagon. Cassie glared up at him for a moment before both she and Theodora climbed up to join him in the wagon.

It took an hour to reach the port – the Blue Snake Inn in which they lived was a few miles from shore. There was a port city called Tagan, where most imports for the kingdom of Tortall arrived. Harris roughly led his two servants to a secluded dock at the end of the port, where a pirate ship was awaiting them. It had a red and yellow flag – the previous flag of Carthak – upon its mast.

The two servant girls gulped and were about to stay behind when Harris forced them on deck, where a ragged looking old man awaited them. He had an eye patch over on eye, and his clothes were torn and one of his legs was missing. His one good eye was like a hawk's, and it rested on Theodora and Cassie with desire and ambition before Harris started to speak.

"You have the… er… drugs, do you?"

The old pirate grinned suddenly. "Of course we have them damn drugs. Why else would we be here in this port, eh? Come along, come along. Bring your pretty girls with you." He licked his lips and limped back into his cabin. Theodora, Cassie, and Harris had no choice but to follow.

"Where are the drugs?" demanded Harris impatiently.

"Ye need to be patient, sir," the old pirate croaked. "Ye will be getting them drugs soon. But we got to discuss what it'll cost ya, eh? Sit down, sit down."

Harris obliged and sat in an old wooden chair, glaring up at the pirate in suspicion. "I want those drugs now, if you please. I am a wealthy man who does not have time for this foolishness. Hurry it up. The highest price I'll pay is five gold pieces, but nothing more."

"Aye, what a fine price that would be," the old pirate said mischievously. "But how about throwing one of them fine young ladies into the deal as well, eh?"

"No. Neither Cassie or Theodora are suitable for what you have in mind. They're lazy, and I need them for my plan anyway. Just hand over them drugs and I'll give you five gold pieces. Six if it'll make you happy," Harris said impatiently.

"Six gold pieces it is, without the girls," the old pirate snapped. He went further into his study and came back with a small box. He handed it over to Harris, who pulled out six large golden coins. They two traded the goods and the old pirate winked.

"That there are the worlds most powerful drugs, they are. Made by the old Scanran dog himself. No magic can detect them drugs in any drink or food. Just one drop in any mages soup or drink and they'll be knocked out for Goddess knows how long," the pirate growled, checking each coin carefully as he examined them.

Harris nodded, and glanced down at his two servants, who were cowering in the corner. "Come, Cassie, Theodora," he barked. "It is time we went home… our guests should not be kept waiting." He laughed wickedly as he went out, and his two slaves had no choice but to follow.

O O O

Cassie and Theodora were enjoying the little time they had together. Harris had gone to send a message to his colleagues, who would set loose some spidrens in the forest just a couple hundred yards north of the Blue Snake Inn. The plan was that it would attract Master Numair and Sir Alanna away from the castle, and that they would stop at the Blue Snake before going off to hunt spidrens.

"Just don't do it," Theodora suggested as they were peeling potatoes in the kitchen. "That's what I would do."

"But I don't want you getting fed to the spidrens," Cassie said fearfully. "I still don't know what they are, but the sound horrible. I would rather die than watch you get hurt. I've known you for far too long."

Theodora sighed. "Don't worry about me, Cassie. Listen, Harris is asking us to commit a crime against the crime of Tortall. It's the worst kind of crime possible – treason. Cassie, you know very well that if her were caught, he would blame the whole thing on us?" She tossed the peeled potato in the stew above them, which was supposed to be for a pair of customers who were outside in the restaurant.

"True point," Cassie mumbled, tossing her own potato into the stew. She started to stir it and sighed.

"I say dot give them the drugs. Warn them about it or something… we can't be asked to do something like this. We were born here," Theodora continued. "And-"

"We don't know that," Cassie put in. "We don't know if we were born here or not. For all we know, we could have been born in Carthak when Ozorne was in power. If we _don't _do as we're told we might be committing treason on our own country."

"But Carthak is under Emperor Kaddar now, surely you know that," Theodora said, sounding exasperated. She tossed another potato into the stew as Cassie started to chop up some meat to add to the stew.

Cassie shrugged and sighed. "I'll think of something. Either way, I don't want to be involved in treason."

"Now you're thinking the right way," Theodora said cheerful, thumping Cassie on the back. "Now let's finish this stew and serve it before Harris gets back. You know how he'll be if he comes home to find his customers aren't happy with the service."

Cassie shuddered. "We'll be whipped to the bone and left out for the Storm-thingys to eat. Come on."

The two prepared the last bits of the meal and carried it outside into the pub, where a merry group of sailors wolf-whistled for the two servant girls to join them at their tables. Cassie and Theodora ignored them and served up a group of bandit-looking men who had been sitting at their table for the past hour or so.

A horse whinnied from outside, and Cassie and Theodora looked at the door fearfully as Harris stormed in. But he did not look angry, but wore more of an ecstatic expression that almost never meant a good thing. He grabbed Cassie and Theodora roughly by their arms and dragged them back into the kitchen, where he sat threw them to the floor and rubbed his hands together. "The Lioness and the great mage are coming," he murmured with excitement. "They will be here tomorrow evening! Prepare yourselves, my pretties, to be involved in the greatest scheme in the history of Tortall. When Ozorne and I become rulers of all, you could be our young pets." He laughed wickedly and went back out of the kitchen, leaving Cassie and Theodora to gaze at each other in horror.


	2. Taking Action

Hello and welcome back to Freedom's Magic! Glad to see you liked it enough to continue on to Chapter 2. Yes, well… once again I have to disclaim some characters, such as Daine, Numair, Alanna, King Jonathan, Queen Thayet… so sad. But I'm NOT Tamora Pierce. Even though I WANT Numair, he IS NOT MINE. Oh, right… you want the story, don't you? Well, if you have read any of my other two stories, you may have realized that it's a tradition for me to post the last paragraph or so of the last chapter for recap. Here's your recap:

_A horse whinnied from outside, and Cassie and Theodora looked at the door fearfully as Harris stormed in. But he did not look angry, but wore more of an ecstatic expression that almost never meant a good thing. He grabbed Cassie and Theodora roughly by their arms and dragged them back into the kitchen, where he sat threw them to the floor and rubbed his hands together. "The Lioness and the great mage are coming," he murmured with excitement. "They will be here tomorrow evening! Prepare yourselves, my pretties, to be involved in the greatest scheme in the history of Tortall. When Ozorne and I become rulers of all, you could be our young pets." He laughed wickedly and went back out of the kitchen, leaving Cassie and Theodora to gaze at each other in horror._

O O O

The next evening, Cassie and Theodora were working as hard as they possibly could – Harris wanted the place spotless when Sir Alanna and Master Numair came for their 'visit'. They were left alone with each other for over half of the day, and consulted with one another on how to deal with the plight that was looming over their heads.

"What are you going to do?" asked Theodora for the thousandth time that afternoon, when the sun was beginning to set.

"I'll pretend to feed them the drugs, but I won't put anything into their drinks. So that way, they'll just leave and be okay," Cassie answered, sounding slightly exasperated. "But what I'm still worried about is what he's going to do to us afterwards. I for one do not want to get fed to these spidren things."

"Perhaps we could go with Sir Alanna and Master Numair. I'm sure they would need some servants, wouldn't they?" Theodora suggested.

Cassie brightened. "You know… that's the best idea you've had all day. But wait… we shouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Well, see… we just couldn't," Cassie answered quietly. Her crystal blue eyes sparkled as she looked down at the counters they were cleaning. "We don't deserve to serve such nobles. We were meant to stay here, even if we are owned by a nasty man. Sir Alanna and Master Numair would be too good to us. After what we've done here, after all the secrets we know and all of the plots we've been in on… they would hate us. You know they would."

"Fair point," mumbled Theodora. She sighed, realizing the bitter truth of the situation. "But we can't let them get drugged. That would be unforgivable if we did."

"Yes," Cassie agreed. "And we'll accept whatever punishment Harris gives us, even if it's death. If we die, at least we'll die for a good thing, right?"

Theodora nodded. She smiled at Cassie and shook some of her jet-black hair out of her face. "You know Cassie, you're braver than you let on." Her smile grew into a toothy grin as she kept wiping down the counters. She looked at her best friend and realized just how courageous and brave her friend really was.

Cassie blushed with modesty. "Oh, shush," she said humbly. "I'm not all that. We're only slaves."

Theodora shook her head and continued to wipe down the counter. Cassie looked at her and smiled. "Well then you're smarter than you show, and fiercer," she remarked snidely, smirking.

"I am not!" Theodora protested.

"Exactly what I have to say to me being brave," Cassie replied, giggling.

Harris stormed in, looking stressed. He threw Theodora across the room. Theodora got up and scrambled down into the basement for fear of being slapped or hit again. Cassie looked up at Harris with such fear that he scowled with irritation. He slapped Cassie across the cheek and pointed to the door. "Get over there," he growled. "Sir Alanna and Master Numair will be here soon, you dimwit. Stand guard, and if I find you more than three yards away from that door I will wring your neck so much, it'll look like a skinny pipe."

Cassie nodded and immediately went out of the kitchen and into the main pub. She scuttled to the main door and peeked out the window. No horses up or down the road. She had no idea what Harris was so worried about. They were not here yet, certainly.

Remembering Harris's threats, she went to the door and stood by its side, looking down at herself. Despite being a slave, Cassie knew very well that she ought to look slightly decent for the knight and her companion. Cassie attempted to smooth out her brown skirt and white apron. It was covered with grime and grease, but Cassie could do nothing about that. Her hair hadn't been washed in weeks, so it was greasy and merely hung straight over her head.

Cassie sighed and remembered that all she could do was wait. The pub had been closed that night, to keep away the customers from seeing Sir Alanna or Master Numair being drugged. After this, Cassie assumed, almost nobody would be allowed in. Harris Sandbeard had enough money to hold his own for at least a few years before he went downhill.

She looked around, and saw Theodora peeking up from the basement. Theodora looked around to see if Harris was around. Her luck was good – Harris had gone out back to keep watch from a nearby hill. Theodora mouthed to Cassie, 'Do you know what you're doing?' Cassie nodded in return. She stole another glance down the road two large figures were emerging out of the distant darkness. Cassie waved to Theodora to get back down. Theodora bit her lip, silently wishing her friend luck, and snuck down into the basement again.

"The Blue Snake Inn," Alanna remarked slowly, seeing a distant sign ahead. The pub seemed deserted – no horses or wagons were tethered outside. "Shall we rest?" She looked at her companion, eyes sparkling through the black of night.

Her companion was tall and slightly ungraceful on his faithful mount Spots. "I suppose… but only for tonight. We will set out straight in the morning. You're sure we should have left Daine in Corus?" He looked back the way he came nervously.

The Lioness, Alanna, chuckled. Her large stallion, Darkmoon snorted. "Numair, you know very well that apprentice of yours can take care of herself. Daine will be fine – and she needs a break from all that work."

Numair made a face. "I don't work her that hard."

"Odds bobs," Alanna retorted, imitating Daine's saying. Then she smiled understandingly. "I'm surprised she hasn't left you yet. Even after Carthak, you still work her like she's a servant girl." Alanna sighed – they had arrived at the 'Blue Snake Inn'. She looked around and carefully dismounted Darkmoon, who whinnied nervously. He was used to being around other horses, not being left here out in the dark alone.

"Remember, we're leaving first thing in the morning for that spidren infestation," Numair said, sighing. "No delays." He too dismounted, and looked up at the sign that dangled above them like a banner.

"Come on," Alanna scoffed, and knocked on the door. "Stop being so paranoid, Numair. We'll get something to eat and drink and we'll be off to bed. Next morning, we'll be gone before the sun rises. How does that sound?" She smiled at her companion.

"Fair enough," Numair mumbled.

The door opened. Before them stood a scrawny young servant girl – not much than a year younger than Daine. Numair and Alanna looked at each other; surely slaves had been banned here in Tortall ever since Queen Thayet and King Jonathan came into the throne?

Numair, with his six feet and six inches in height, looked down upon the young slave with pity. His dark eyes sparkled in the sudden light, and his black cloak billowed around his powerful frame. "Is your master home, young one?" he asked kindly. His mane of raven black hair hung down, nearly covering his eyes. He had to shake his head just to keep the hair away from them.

The young girl was trembling. _Poor thing_, Alanna thought sorrowfully. "Y-Yes," murmured the young slave. "I w-will fetch him f-for you…" And with that, she ran out of the room.

Alanna and Numair stepped inside. Alanna gazed around, eyes flashing. (PAUSE. Here's a sad thing. I can't remember if Alanna's eye color is purple or not. If you review, please tell me! PLAY.) Her coppery hair had grown out in the past couple of months, and it hung down just a little ways past her shoulders. She was much shorter than her companion, and was built on not muscle but stock.

A slender, willowy man appeared in the doorway in which the slave girl had just exited. The very servant girl they had seen before was cowering behind her master, refusing to look at either Alanna or Numair. The slender man had a blonde beard and slicked back blonde hair. His eyes were a sharp brown, and he wore a work-master's uniform.

"Look who has entered the room of my pub! It's the Lioness and her faithful companion! Master Numair Salmalin am I correct?" he roared with pleasure, and the slave girl behind him winced, looking ashamed about something.

Numair nodded, but did not reply. His eyes were on the young servant girl behind the pub-man. Alanna's eyes were fixed on the 'pleasant' man who had greeted them so enthusiastically.

"Come, come! Sit, have a drink! I hope you will be staying a while, my lieges?" the pub-man asked them, looking bright.

"We will be staying for the night, if you don't mind," Alanna replied, smiling courteously.

Numair narrowed his eyes. He was still staring at the servant girl, who lingered by the kitchen door so quietly. She seemed guilty, and she was glancing back and forth between Alanna and himself. And the girl did not seem like a servant. Servants were happy to serve their masters, and actually looked decent when company arrived. Not like this one, who was practically shaking in the corner alone, and wearing the filthiest dress Numair had ever seen. "You do understand," Numair remarked coldly, "That slavery has been banned from Tortall at all costs?"

"Slave?" the pub-man looked around, spotting the young slave girl. He narrowed his eyes at her angrily but turned back to his customers delightfully. "No, no, you are misunderstanding. This is my lovely assistant Cassandra. I call her Cassie, of course. Come here, girl."

The girl named Cassie stumbled over, looking frightened. Numair looked at her apologetically, and Alanna now turned a look onto the shy young girl.

"Go and get our guests some drinks. The pure water is in the right cupboard, darling." The pub-man pushed Cassie off towards the kitchen. Either he pushed her too hard or she was too frail to handle even the least bit of pressure, but she nearly fell as she made her way over.

Cassie came into the kitchen, finally getting out of sight of that Numair. _What an eyesore, _she thought dreamily. But he had kept staring at her, and only her. Cassie knew he suspected something. But how else could she act? She only acted the way Harris wanted her to act. But now for the drinks, and the drugs. What would she do?

Beads of sweat began to speckle across her forehead as she unsteadily poured the water into two glasses. Then she looked where Harris had hinted her to look, the right cupboard. She opened it, and there it was. The box of the promised drugs – the strongest in the world. She opened the bottle of drugs. Even the smell of it made her woozy. Then again, she had not eaten in a while. Cassie looked around, thinking of Theodora. Indeed, Cassie would give them the drugged drinks… but she would warn them. Somehow. Some way. But she would.

"Cassie, our guests are thirsty!" Cassie sighed with irritation at the sound of Harris's voice. She hated him for what he was doing, what he was making her do for him. Committing treason of the highest limit. Cassie scowled and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She shakily poured half of one bottle into one glass and the other half into the remaining glass.

She had done it. One half of Harris's evil plan was complete. But Cassie smiled grimly. She would turn his other half upside down.

Cassie picked up the tray and came back into the main room, where Harris was leaning against a wall. His eyes were fixed anxiously on Cassie and narrowed his eyes. She gulped and prayed silently for something to happen to lure him away… so she would be alone with the two strangers… so she could help them escape.

Her prayers were answered. A thud came form the roof. Harris looked up, irritated immediately and grumbled something under his breath. "S'pose I'd best go check that, then," he mumbled to them angrily as he stalked away and out into the kitchen.

Cassie sighed with relief and set the drinks on the table. When Numair reached for one, she shook her head rapidly. She grabbed his hand and moved it away from the glass, still shaking her head frantically, knowing that she didn't have much time before Harris returned. Alanna and Numair looked at her curiously, looking confused.

"What's this all about?" Alanna asked.

"Y-You mustn't d-drink that Lioness," murmured Cassie frightfully, looking around wildly to make sure Harris was not spying on her.

"You're not a regular servant, are you?" asked Numair, looking slightly angry.

Cassie shook her head. "N-No sir… me and m-my friend, we're h-his slaves… like you s-said. He r-raised us as b-babies and he threatens us with things…" She blushed and looked down. Then she looked up sharply, looking desperate. "But you can't drink that water. It's drugged."

"Drugged?" demanded Numair, looking at the glass sourly. "It isn't drugged; I checked it with my magic. With the Gift. You know what that is?"

"N-No magic could d-detect it s-sir… it came from Scanra, made by a Scanran m-mage. He… he m-made it just for this… I'm sorry…" Cassie was about to walk away hurriedly before Alanna grabbed her arm, forcing her to stay put. Alanna fixed her with a firm look, and let her go.

"Tell us more," Alanna demanded. "What does this master of your want? Tell me, child."

Cassie winced at the tone of her voice. Numair looked at her understandingly and patted the Lioness gently. She sighed and looked at Cassie again, who had begun to tremble.

"I didn't mean to scare you, girl. Tell us, what does your master want?"

"To take over Tortall!" Cassie cried out, not caring if Harris overheard. "He's still loyal to Ozorne… he's a spy! His plan was to drug you and keep you held here until Ozorne came with some spidrens to eat you both!" She collapsed onto a nearby chair and began to cry. "He and his so-called comrades think that by killing you, they'll put the country in chaos and they could kill the king and queen! I'm so sorry!"

Alanna and Numair looked at each other in alarm. "And he wanted you to do the dirty work?" asked Numair quietly, his voice soothing to the crying girl.

"I don't know what he wanted!" Cassie sobbed. "I'm not smart, like my friend Theodora! I'm just stupid and useless! Just get out, get out before Harris finds you! I don't care what happens to me… I just don't want you all to get hurt! I don't care if I get fed to the spidren-thingies! Just go!"

"I've heard enough!" shouted someone from the kitchen. Harris stormed in, and wolf-whistled.

Horrible creatures started streaming into the room. Giant spiders, with human heads. Cassie screamed when Harris dove for her – Numair and Alanna were lost under a mass of the spider-humans.

Harris closed his hands around Cassie's throat, and Cassie thrashed underneath him. Spider-humans (Cassie now realized that these must be spidrens, the horrible creatures Harris had spoken of many times) loomed over them, eye fixed on their promised prey that was now squirming to get away from Harris. Harris put even more pressure over Cassie's windpipe – she was struggling for breath now.

"You ruined everything, you little brat!" Harris spat. "You will suffer!" Cassie couldn't say anything in reply, her face was turning blue. She gasped for air underneath his hands, and kicked and struggled. But her thrashings were getting weaker, and Cassie felt her strength fading very quickly…

Many things happened at once at that moment.

"Get off her!" shouted someone from above. Cassie was too woozy to realize that it was Theodora, who had burst out of the basement when she heard the scream from Cassie. She threw Harris off Cassie and helped her dear friend to her feet. A large _boom_ occurred, and almost all the spidrens in the room simply disappeared. Alanna and Numair stood at the center, back to back. They spotted Cassie and Theodora and rushed to them. Cassie was near unconsciousness, and was swaying even with Theodora supporting her.

"Is she alright?" asked Alanna, concerned, examining Cassie with a firm look.

Theodora shook her head, not knowing anything. "I don't know…" she said worriedly. "I don't know if she's okay or not. Cassie? Can you hear me?"

Cassie was oblivious to Theodora completely. Her eyes flickered, and she murmured, "Tell Theodora… I tried." Then she slumped onto Theodora's shoulder, unconscious and oblivious to her friend.

"NO!" Theodora screamed. "Cassie, you're not dead! Please don't die! Please!" Theodora set her friend on the floor, looking terrified and panicked. "Wake up!" Her voice was trembling with misery. "Do something!" she added to Numair and Alanna. "Make her wake up!"

At that moment, Harris had stumbled to his feet. "You'll be dead just like her, you little bitch!" he shouted at Theodora, and leaped for her too.

This time, Numair stepped in front of Theodora and raised his hand towards the charging man. Harris realized he was trapped and murmured a quiet word, one that neither Numair nor Alanna heard. He disappeared into thin air, and Numair cursed to himself. Alanna scowled and knelt beside Theodora and Cassie. Theodora was shaking with sobs, caressing her friend's body as if it were an animal.

"We have to take them to the palace, Alanna," Numair said, turning to them. "We will heal the hurt one on the road. Both of us are in danger here. So are the slaves. Come, saddle Darkmoon." He helped Theodora to her feet. "Come along, dear," he murmured in her ear soothingly. "We'll take good care of your friend. Come on…" Theodora reluctantly gave in and let the mage lead her outside.

Alanna sighed and picked up the young girl Cassie. She grumbled in her unconsciousness, as if she were having a dream of some sort. Alanna followed her companion outside, where her stallion Darkmoon awaited. He tossed his head urgently and nickered.

"It's alright, boy," Alanna told him gently as she eased the unconscious Cassie onto the saddle. She strapped the poor girl down and then climbed on herself. "We're going home now, to the palace. Home sweet home."


	3. Adjusting in a New World

Hello all! I see you are really enjoying this book… good! **Disclaimer: **I do not own any of Tamora Pierce's characters. Cassie, Theodora, Harris, and a select few are of my own creation. Once again, here is my recap from last chapter:

_Alanna sighed and picked up the young girl Cassie. She grumbled in her unconsciousness, as if she were having a dream of some sort. Alanna followed her companion outside, where her stallion Darkmoon awaited. He tossed his head urgently and nickered._

"_It's alright, boy," Alanna told him gently as she eased the unconscious Cassie onto the saddle. She strapped the poor girl down and then climbed on herself. "We're going home now, to the palace. Home sweet home."_

O O O

"Numair? Who are these girls?" asked a young, fifteen-and-a-half year old girl. Smoky brown curls hung down over blue-gray eyes as deep as the ocean, but as gentle as a cloud. Full, round lips were slightly parted as she looked at the two sleeping girls.

The night before, Alanna and Numair had ridden hard with the girls on their horses to reach Corus. Having arrived late at night, they had no time to see the king and queen before going to bed. Numair hadn't even thought of informing Daine of their special guests. Now they were in the barracks, above the stables. They were in an isolated room, where Theodora and Cassie now slept in separate beds.

"Shh," Numair said to her, smiling gently. Alanna was speaking with the king and queen, and Numair had vowed to watch over the two slaves to make sure nothing happened to them. "We have to keep quiet, they're sleeping."

The fifteen-year old bit her lip. "Alright. But what are they doing here?" she asked, this time in a whisper.

Numair sighed. "Daine, these two slaves saved me and Alanna's lives last night. We couldn't just leave them in that dreadful place, where they could be kidnapped and killed. We brought them here for their own safety. Now shush, let's go outside to talk about this." He smiled gently and led Daine out of the room, out onto a miniature balcony where they could see the night sky.

"How did they save your lives?" Daine asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

Numair told her the story of the night before and Daine listened, gasping or nodding every so often. When Numair finished, Daine's eyes flashed with anger. "This man needs to be stopped and found!" she hissed. She looked towards the door. "Do they know where he went?"

"We can't rush them, Daine," Numair remarked coolly. "You, my girl, need to learn patience. They need food and baths, not to mention new clothing. Let's take care of them first, shall we?"

Daine sighed. "You're right, as always. What are their names?"

"One's name is Cassie, I think. The other one is Theodora. But do not show them in any way that you know their names. They're frightened… at least the Theodora one is. We don't know how the other one reacts – she was unconscious last night," said Numair with a sigh of his own. "She should be awake in an hour or so, I know the other one will be awake in a few moments."

"Alright, Numair. Whatever you say. Do you want me to keep watch over them for you?" Daine asked politely.

"That would be nice, yes," Numair replied, standing. "I must go find Alanna. Perhaps she's with the king right now, but you can never be sure. I'll be back with Alanna as soon as I find her." And with that, he walked away.

Daine sighed and retreated back into the room where the two slaves slept. She slumped into a chair and watched them each sleep. Both of them were filthy, with greasy hair hanging in clumps over their faces. She examined them for a long while. Perhaps it was fifteen minutes, or even an hour, but Daine wasn't so sure.

Suddenly one of the young slave girls awoke, her eyes flickering open. She was quite skinny, with jet-black hair that hung straightly down to her shoulders, and wild sea-green eyes that seemed to bore right through anyone she looked at. She gazed at Daine fiercely with fear, and nearly fell out of bed.

"Where am I?" she squeaked, backing away from Daine fearfully.

Daine looked at the girl coolly, and smiled gently. "Shush, you're safe. You're in Corus, the capital of Tortall. Don't you worry about anything. As soon as your friend wakes up, we'll get to cleaning you up, of course."

The young slave looked at her sleeping comrade and bit her lip. She glanced back at Daine, terror reflecting in her sea-green eyes. "Who are you, then?" she asked shakily, and winced as if she expected Daine to slap her for asking such a question.

Daine smiled understandingly. "I'm Veralidaine Sarrasri. You can call me Daine," she answered softly.

"Sarrasri?" the girl asked. "I'm… I'm Theodora, um… I don't have a last name." The girl named Theodora bowed her head in shame and sat back against her pillows, looking embarrassed at her silly answer. Then Theodora looked at her companion once more before asking worriedly, "Will Cassie be alright?"

"Cassie?" Daine asked.

"This is Cassie," Theodora replied, gesturing to the girl on the bed next to her. "I've known her for as long as I can remember. We grew up together, worked together… were p-punished together. She's like my sister. If I lost her, I don't know what I'd do." Then she blushed, realizing she had said far too much. Theodora looked down and sat up more erectly, folding her hands in her lap.

Daine sighed and managed a smile. "Master Numair will be back soon with Alanna, the Lioness. I'm not sure, but I think they'll want you to see the King and Queen."

"King Jonathan?!" squealed Theodora, terrified. "And Queen Thayet?! No… no! Not them! I'll be thrown in prison! I'll be executed, and fed to the spidren-things!"

Cassie woke up suddenly at the word spidrens. She sat up in bed, forehead and neck beaded with sweat. Her crystal blue eyes were wide with horror as she looked around wildly. Theodora suddenly seemed brighten, and the poor servant girl jumped onto her companion's bed and wrung her friend's wrists.

"We're going to see the King!" Theodora exclaimed to Cassie.

"The K-King?" squeaked Cassie, her voice slightly squeaky from lack-of-use. "We can't go to the King, no! Oh-ho, heavens no! If Harris found out, we'd be beaten to death for sure!"

"Nobody's going to beat either of you to death!" Daine finally told them. Both slave girls turned to look at Daine, looking frightened. "Look," Daine continued, "We're going to keep you safe. And King Jonathan is a very kind man. I'm sure you wouldn't be thrown into prison for something you were forced into."

Both girls seemed to relax a little bit, and Cassie rubbed her throat. At that moment, Numair came in and smiled at the two slaves, dark eyes bright. Alanna came in shortly afterwards, looking much more friendly than she had the night before. Theodora looked between them suspiciously, as Cassie glanced up at them frightfully.

"Come on, you two," Alanna told the slaves, her voice soft with tenderness. Both girls looked at each other before Alanna continued. "We're going to clean you up, and get you some proper clothes."

Daine smiled as the two slaves exited cautiously after Alanna, and looked up at Numair. Numair gazed back down at her and put a hand on her shoulder. "The King wants to see me, magelet. You can come along, if you wish."

"Alright. I'll fetch Kitten and Zek along the way too," Daine answered him. Zek was a pygmy marmoset that she had rescued in Carthak not too long ago, and was a very cautious and loyal friend of Daine's. Kitten, who's true name was Skysong, was a young dragon that Daine had come across in her first adventure with Numair and Alanna. Ever since, Daine had been raising Kitten.

Numair nodded and the pair of them set off towards Daine's barracks. As they reached it, a small sky blue dragon came toddling out, a small monkey on her back. The dragon, Kitten, was about two-and-a-half feet in length, and the tail added about another foot. Small wings that would one day be large enough to fly with were tucked in neatly at the dragonet's sides. Silver, curved claws on her feet signified that she was an immortal, a creature who would live forever unless she was killed with a weapon or poison.

On her back was a tiny marmoset. This was Zek, a bold pygmy marmoset who had saved Daine back in Carthak when she had been locked away in a cage. His fur was an assortment of olives and browns, and his eyes were black and beady against his face fur. As soon as he was close enough, Zek clambered his way up onto Daine's shoulder, and Kitten began to toddle along beside Numair and Daine, eyes bright.

'Where are we going?' Zek asked calmly as they walked. He fluffed his fur out and looked down at Kitten, who chortled the same question.

"We're going to the throne room," Daine replied out loud. She looked to Numair, who gave her an expectant glance. "Zek was asking where we were going," she told him coolly.

Daine had wild magic, not the Gift, and wild magic enabled her to talk to animals, and even take their form. Not too long ago, back in the forests of Dunlath, she gained the ability to enter an animal's mind, and along with that skill came the power of shape-shifting.

"Tell Zek that we're going to speak to King Jonathan," Numair said to her with a smile. Daine nodded and obliged, telling Zek Numair's message. The marmoset nodded and nestled in closer to Daine's neck.

It took them only a few moments to reach the throne room, where King Jonathan and Queen Thayet awaited them. Daine and Numair looked at each other before entering.

The throne room was not as grand as the common passerby would expect. It was much smaller than some throne rooms, and the thrones on which the King and Queen sat were barely even thrones at all, but mere perches where they could rest. And on these 'thrones' were the King and Queen themselves.

King Jonathan was an eyesore for any woman passing. His raven black hair was raggedly cut, and a small beard of the same color. His eyes were deep, fiery sapphires, or at least they seemed like them. And instead of wearing a royal suit of some kind, he was wearing simple breeches and a snow white shirt with the royal emblem on it.

The Queen was no less beautiful. Her also raven black hair was tied into a tight ponytail, and hazel eyes that were like a hawk's watched her two visitors with recognition. Her smile was friendly, and she wore a pair of black breeches and a light blue shirt underneath. A royal emblem was sowed onto her shirt on the shoulder.

Kitten shrilled a greeting, and sat up on her hind legs. Thayet looked at the dragon with a kind look. "Hello Kitten," the Queen said sweetly to the dragon.

"Greetings, Numair. Hello Daine," King Jonathan smiled at them both. Zek, who liked King Jonathan, leaped form Daine's shoulder and scampered across the floor to perch on Jonathan's lap. The King chuckled and began to stroke the marmoset's fur absentmindedly. "I think you know why you're here."

"Perhaps Daine, not so much," the Queen told her husband, with a grin at Daine.

"Oh, I know," Daine said darkly. "Numair told me that an evil man tried to kill him and Alanna, and that the two slave girls saved their lives." The King and Queen did not look surprised that she did know, and both smiled at each other.

"As a matter of fact, we called Numair in here to tell us if there is anything special about these two slaves. But yes, we are going to discuss that matter eventually," Jonathan told her, still stroking Zek.

Numair nodded. "Both slaves are very strange. Cassie, the smaller one, has a strong Gift. Theodora has a stronger Gift, a much stronger Gift. I've never seen so much of the Gift in one person before. She's definitely the material for a black robe mage," he told the rulers. Daine's eyes widened. Numair had the most Gift of anyone she knew. To find out that one of these girls, who were even younger than she was, had the quality to be a black robe mage, was disturbing.

"Interesting… do they know of this magic?" asked the King, narrowing his eye thoughtfully. Zek chittered with content as Jonathan struck an itchy spot, and the King smiled.

"I don't believe so, your Majesty," Numair answered. "But there's something about them as well. They have a special aura. One that isn't really human…"

"So they're aliens?" Daine interrupted, sounding disturbed. At her tone of voice, Kitten clicked her tongue three times in anxiety.

Numair shook his head. "You didn't let me finish, Daine," he scolded his apprentice with a playful smile. She smiled back as he continued. "Do you remember the Tales of Fronnor, your Majesties?"

Thayet straightened with a frown. "Yes we have," she remarked. "What do these slave girls have to do with the Tales of Fronnor?" Jonathan nodded, still looking thoughtful as he looked at Numair, Daine, and Kitten. He sighed as he considered what Numair said.

"If you recall, the Tales of Fronnor speaks of a lost race, one that was exterminated not too long ago in the southern lands of Carthak. They were known as the forest elves, remember? Elves that were graceful and the adult males grew over to be six feet tall. And hundreds of our history records tell us that there have been recordings of such creatures! But when we read Tales of Fronnor, we discovered that only fourteen years ago, the race was destroyed," Numair explained, beginning to pace back and forth. Daine watched him, knowing that he was thinking hard whenever he paced like that.

King Jonathan's thoughtful smile turned to a frown. "Are you saying that you think these two girls are the last of the forest elves mentioned in the Tales of Fronnor?"

"They must be," Numair answered firmly. "The girl Cassie told us that night that she and Theodora had been this man's slaves since they were born. What if their parents sent them to him? What if the two young girls were left on his doorstep as newborns because their parents knew the race was going to end?"

"That is a lot of 'what ifs', Numair," Thayet told their head mage. But she too looked thoughtful, like her husband.

"I know, but we have no way of knowing for sure – neither of them know who their parents were," Numair remarked, looking slightly frustrated. "But the timing aligns just right… they are fourteen years old, and the race disappeared fourteen years ago. They would have been left there by their parents…"

"We don't even know if they're related," Daine pointed out. Kitten whistled an agreement. She trotted over and took a loyal spot by Daine, and the young girl began to scratch behind Kitten's ear.

Numair sighed. "I think we'll have to take a look at those Tales," he said with a frown. "Maybe they can give us a clue on what to look for to verify that they're of the forest elves…" He stopped pacing, and looked to the King eagerly.

"You don't need permission from us to visit the royal library," King Jonathan told him, waving his hand idly. "Go and investigate."

Numair smiled and turned to Daine. "Would you like to accompany me, or would you rather check up on the girls with Alanna?" he asked her. Daine bit her lip. It would more than likely be boring watching Numair pore over books, trying to figure out a problem. Going to check up on the two former slave girls seemed like a much brighter opportunity.

"I'll go check up on the girls with Alanna," Daine responded. Mage and apprentice smiled at each other before parting, leaving the King and Queen to ponder what Numair had brought before them. Zek scampered out after Daine, leaping onto Kitten's back before the door closed.

O O O

When Daine found them, the girls were with Kuri Tailor, the woman in charge of the girls' at the Queen's Riders. The Queen's Riders was a group of volunteers who were trained to ride ponies and fight for the royal couple around Tortall. Alanna was awaiting by the door, and she winked at Daine as she passed.

"This is so grand!" Theodora exclaimed, staring at the garments Kuri was offering her and Cassie. They were brown breaches with light, cotton shirts to go over them.

"They're breeches and a shirt," Kuri said kindly. "Besides, I think after your bathes, you would want something cleaner to wear than those old rags." She snorted as she looked them over again. "You look like you've been tortured a million times over and left out in the mud for a year."

Cassie and Theodora looked at each other. "We have," they replied in unison, keeping straight faces as they said it. Kuri gazed at them, startled, and forced the clothing into their hands anyway.

"You wear those, and try them on. No matter what you've been through, you're ours now. No matter where you're from, either. Now put those on," Kuri told them. Daine smiled. Kuri had said the exact same thing to her when she had first come to Tortall and the Queen's Riders. Memories forced her way into her mind, and she sighed, lost in thought.

Cassie jumped when she heard Daine sigh. She relaxed when she saw who it was, and took the clothes that were being offered to her. She nodded to Theodora, who took the clothes as well, and the pair went off to change. Kuri shook her head as she wandered over to Daine and Alanna.

"Honestly," she said, smiling off in the direction the girls had went, "I haven't seen an odd pair like that since you arrived Daine." Daine blushed, and Kuri patted her shoulder kindly.

Alanna chuckled. "You can't even begin to describe how shocked they are at everything," she told Daine with a grin. "They're constantly gasping at the sights and refusing to believe that they're finally free of that man they call Harris. Always talking about what he would do to them if he knew if they were here. But they're still sweet."

Zek cocked his head curiously. 'I want to meet these girls,' he told Daine firmly. 'They sound nice and interesting.' He jumped up to Daine's hand and climbed up to her shoulder. Kitten snorted and sat up on her hind legs, starting to whistle out a tune.

When the girls came back, Daine blinked when she realized how different they looked.

Cassie looked so much more beautiful than she had when Daine first saw her. Her boyishly-short blonde hair was sleek and curly, no longer greasy or brown with filth. Her skin was practically shining in the sunlight, it was so clean. There was no hint that she had ever been filthy in her life. Her outfit made her look extremely skinny, but it was to be expected. She probably hadn't eaten in a long time.

Theodora's jet-black hair had been pulled back into a tame ponytail, revealing her shocking sea-green eyes that were bright with relief. Her skin also was shiny with scrubbing, and it almost looked as if she had never come into contact with dirt before. She indeed looked quite pretty with her black breeches and a cotton shirt above.

Daine then did a double-take. For the first time, she could see their ears. Their ears were both pointed and hooked, definitely not like a regular human's. She made a mental note to tell Numair later about that. All she could do was smile at the two girls as they came back towards Alanna and Daine. Then she noticed something else. Both had the same body and face structure. However, Theodora seemed to be the taller of the two.

As they walked out into the sun from the barracks, Daine had to restrain herself from gasping at what she saw on Cassie and Theodora's necks. She had not seen it in the dark, but in the light their skin turned dark in a pattern that was etched into a symbol that she did not recognize. Making sure the girls couldn't notice, she lightly elbowed Alanna and signaled to her what she had seen. Alanna looked at the two former slaves beside them and only nodded, but Daine could tell she too was taken aback.

"By tonight, I'll have a nice, new wardrobe for you two!" Kuri called after them. Theodora and Cassie looked at each other in delight. How different this place was from their own home!

EOC: Thanks for reading! Sorry to cut it off here, but in my opinion this was getting somewhat long. Please, Read and Review! After a few more reviews, I might just post the next chapter. I'll update soon, though, I promise.


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